Sports of The Times; Once Again, an Unknown Stalks the Leaders

By DAVE ANDERSON

Published: July 19, 2003

SANDWICH, England—
IN the sandhills of Royal St. George's, golf's newest name, S. K. Ho, was up there on the British Open leader board yesterday when Ernie Els was asked what he knew about Ho, a 29-year-old South Korean pro.

''Just,'' Els said with a smile, ''that he has a shorter surname than me.''

Ho also has a better 36-hole score than anybody else except Davis Love III, the leader at one under par going into the third round today. Only two strokes back with Thomas Bjorn, the Danish Ryder Cupper, after a 73 yesterday, Ho maintained the British Open's tradition of introducing previously little-known golfers to the world stage, especially to American television viewers.

So say hello to the golfer known here as Mr. Ho, not to be confused with Mr. Lu.

If you don't remember Mr. Lu, Lee Trevino will never forget him. When Trevino won the British Open in 1971 at Royal Birkdale, Lu Liang Huan, a Taiwanese pro in a porkpie hat, finished one stroke behind, but never again surfaced on the leader board of a major tournament.

Over the years, other names have suddenly appeared in the last groups on the weekend at the British Open, but some seemed to disappear just as quickly.

Like Simon Owen of New Zealand, who finished second to Jack Nicklaus in 1978 at St. Andrews. Or Gordon Brand of England, second to Greg Norman in 1986 at Turnberry. Or Mike Harwood of Australia, second to Ian Baker-Finch in 1991 at Royal Birkdale.

For that matter, Baker-Finch soon disappeared, too. He is one of ABC's television announcers here.

Then there's Jan Van de Velde, the Frenchman whose water-splashed triple-bogey 7 on Carnoustie's final hole in 1999 dropped him into a four-hole playoff with Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard that Lawrie won. Van de Velde is a BBC Television guest analyst here.

In addition to Ho, three other new names are among the leaders -- Marco Ruiz, a 28-year-old Paraguayan pro who has won twice on the South American tour; Ben Curtis, a 26-year-old PGA Tour rookie; and the South African Henne Otto, the surprise first-round leader.

Who are these guys? What are they doing here? And where are they going?

Of course, this could be the start of something big. Some of the new names at past British Opens soon evolved into familiar names.

Bernhard Langer, a Bavarian bricklayer's son, won two Masters after finishing second to Bill Rogers here in 1981. Nick Price, from Zimbabwe, won two P.G.A. Championships and the 1994 British Open after finishing second to Tom Watson in 1982 at Troon.

Almost poetically, Watson, the five-time British Open champion, was walking past the scorer's trailer after a 77 yesterday when Ho, who had finished 20 minutes earlier, was asked if, when growing up in Seoul, he had been inspired by any particular golfer.

''Watson,'' Ho said, smiling and pointing to him before his interpreter said, ''When he was a junior, he watched Watson's swing on video.''

Ho's most notable worldwide achievement was teaming with K. J. Choi, considered the best male golfer in Korean history, to tie for third in last year's World Cup matches in Mexico, six strokes behind Japan.

Ho won two tournaments last year, the Shinhan Donghae Open in South Korea on the Asian PGA Tour and the Juken Sangyo Open in Hiroshima on the Japan Tour. He has had two second-place finishes on the Japan Tour this year.

So he is hardly unknown in Seoul, where his one-under-par 70 in the first round on Thursday created headlines and highlights.

''He called his parents this morning,'' the interpreter said. ''They told him he was all over the Korean newspapers there.''

Ho, who began playing golf at age 10, attended Korea Physical Education University before turning pro in 1995. He entered the PGA Tour's Q-school last December, but didn't qualify, tying for 136th, far down the list.

''He hopes to try again this year,'' the interpreter said.

Slim at 5 feet 8 inches and 160 pounds, Ho reacted to every question with a friendly smile while wearing a white golf shirt and white golf hat decorated with Lee Dong Soo logos, the same name on his red golf bag.

''It's a clothing company,'' the interpreter said.

To prepare for the winds at his first British Open, Ho practiced in New Zealand, but he had to learn about these bumpy, baked fairways the hard way. Just as people staring at the leader board have had to learn who ''Ho'' was. His full name is Hur Suk Ho, but in the British Open players' guide, it's S. K. Ho.

''He wants to make sure people remember his name,'' the interpreter said.

The best way to do that is to make sure it stays on the leader board.

Photo: After shooting a 73 yesterday at the British Open, the little-known Korean golfer S. K. Ho was tied for second place after the second round. (Associated Press)